Blood of Olympus Epilogue
by AlbinoMuskrat
Summary: A written epilogue for Blood of Olympus, because there were too many holes left open. Spoilers. For all your closure needs! Spoilers. And it's awesome. Oh, did I mention SPOILERS?
1. Jason

**EPILOGUE FOR CLOSURE PURPOSES**

**Five years after the fall of Gaea...**

**Jason**

It felt like just yesterday. He was in New Rome, standing with his five compatriots in the Forum. Only, this time it was different. He, Piper, Frank, and Hazel were at the front of a rather large crowd that was surrounding two other figures.

Percy and Annabeth were getting married.

Jason felt a mixture of emotions. He felt, most of all, nostalgic. Nostalgic for a time when the six of them would go on ventures, kill monsters, and save the world. He also felt deep pain, for it wasn't six of them who battled and defeated Gaea. It was seven. Five years to the day, and still no word or sign from Leo. Everyone had prayed to the gods to say if he was alive or dead, but no word. Nico had stayed mum on the subject.

Piper shook him out of his thoughts. "Isn't it wonderful? I always thought they were so cute." She smiled at him. "Soon, it'll be OUR turn…" she hinted playfully. As Percy and Annabeth kissed, an enormous applause rippled through the whole Forum.

Later that evening, after the festivities, the six of them gathered at a coffee shop. Everyone else had gone home that evening, so they were the only ones. Percy and Annabeth were, of course, the main topic of conversation. Jason talked about his job as _pontifex maximus_. It had been mind-numbing for his brain, making sure that specifically Greek deities and specifically Roman deities were getting proper respect from both camps. There were interesting stories, like when Janus showed up during dinner at Camp Half-Blood and gave everyone headaches with his shouting matches or when Apollo came to Camp Jupiter and spouted haiku at all of the girls.

At last, he spoke up and said what had been on his mind for hours. "I miss Leo." Everyone stopped and stared. Jason then broke down sobbing. It had all been too much for him to contain for five years. He missed the guy, plain and simple. "I'm sorry if I just ruined your evening," he apologized. Everyone knew that Leo's death had been a touchy subject for all these years. Nobody wanted to touch it.

Finally, someone spoke. "You know, we treated him too harsh," said Frank. Everyone gave confused looks at Frank, until he explained further. "While we were off carousing around the Mediterranean and wondering what life was going to be like after camp, he hid. All of the times he said he was working on general repairs, he was actually crying. I think we awkwarded him out. That's why he was so close to his machines. I feel really bad for being so hard on the kid. He just wanted to be happy like everyone else, but he couldn't be."

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Percy said, "We all know he's in Elysium right now. May the gods be with him."

"They are," said a familiar voice.


	2. Nico

**Nico**

Percy couldn't believe it. Nico had shown up at the wedding for a total of five minutes to say congrats, but Percy hadn't caught a long of enough glimpse to confirm that it was. Nico had grown about six inches to a foot over the last five years. He was still the lanky, spiky-haired kid who wore clothes two sizes too big for him. But he was so… _tall_. And who stood next to him, holding hands, made everyone gasp.

It was Reyna. She still looked as noble and leader-like as she did five years ago. Nothing had changed, except for the fact that Nico was as tall as her now. "When did this happen?" demanded Jason. "A while ago," said Nico, with a slight smile towards Jason. "I felt it was time to move out of the shadows."

Nico explained. In the week following Gaea's demise, Nico and Reyna became closer than ever. Nico had finally felt that it was time to move on. _Bearing grudges is a fatal flaw for a child of Hades_, chided Bianca. _Yes_, responded Nico. He and Reyna had been dating for four years now, although they both tried to hide it in public; Reyna succeeded, while Nico, being at Camp Half-Blood and always subject to mental probings from Aphrodite girls, didn't do well enough to hide it. Nico did a good job of covering it up, though. He dismissed it as rumor and refused to talk to anyone about it. Eventually, though, they hated it being secret. Frank and Hazel were openly dating, and there was a lot of talk that Reyna was too serious or too antagonizing for a boy. After THAT rumor broke, Reyna asked Nico to come to Camp Jupiter for a "special purpose". In front of the whole legion, she had full-frontal kissed Nico, much to his immediate horror, but eventual acceptance. He found it not to be as scary as he thought. It was originally intended to destroy rumor, and most people didn't take it seriously. Until now, that is.

"Yeah, and it's been awesome since," said Nico. "May we join?"

And they joined the party, just like old times.


	3. Nico 2

**Nico**

Nico had had a heck of a time the last five years. Besides managing the Hades cabin (as well as its remodel), he had been back and forth between camps as a correspondent. Through advice, he helped build a small guest camp for visiting Romans, aside from the main cabin area. Now, if visitors were going to want to stay, they could. It was nothing even remotely close to New Rome, but it was something.

Anyway, he happened to be in New Rome because he was visiting with Frank and Hazel, to discuss life and catch up. He was to meet someone in town for coffee that evening. Percy and Annabeth happened to be getting married that afternoon, so Nico left, went to the wedding, congratulated the newlyweds, and went to go get coffee. He overheard them giving Leo Valdez a hero's toast, when he heard Percy Jackson say, "We all know he's in Elysium right now. May the gods be with him." To which Nico responded, "They are." To which everyone turned around. As he walked in, they acted surprised to see Reyna, his girlfriend, by his side. He explained, they joined the table, and got right down to business.

"He's here," Nico said to the gasps of everyone there. "However, he is frustrating me. I can detect him SOMEWHERE, it's just that he's hiding or something." "He took the cure," said Hazel. "But where did he go… oh. OH." She realized where he had gone. "Calypso." She explained to all that Leo had met Calypso after Khione had blasted him into the sky during the battle on the Mediterranean. They had fallen in love, but Leo had to go. He promised on the River Styx to come back. "An oath to keep with a final breath," muttered Nico. "That would make sense. But isn't Calypso on an island that isn't on our plane of reason? I wouldn't be able to detect him. Which means only one thing. He got Calypso, came back to "Earth", and he's hiding, or maybe it's a being like him and he's actually dead. I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."


	4. Hazel

**Hazel**

Hazel was burned out that week. She and the praetors had been busy restoring law and order to the legion since the Gigantomachy. Octavian's destruction had run deeper than previously believed, and the leadership was having more trouble than usual. However, they were close to being as close to normal as they were going to get. The Greeks didn't only bring themselves, but culture. New Rome began become more relaxed and casual. And the mingling of Greek demigods and Roman demigods proved interesting to watch, especially during war games. Fauns found themselves earning money legitimately.

It was all worth it, thought Hazel. I have a wonderful boyfriend, two good communities, and work. And yet… it wasn't. One had died. One that she was inordinately close to, for the strangest reason: that he was the descendant of her childhood crush. But, she thought, that's what death does. It wasn't my fault, nor anyone else's. It wasn't his. He sacrificed himself for the sake of the world. He truly was a Hero of Olympus.


	5. Leo

**Leo**

"And here, princess, we will live!"

Leo and Calypso were settled into a large house in downtown Houston. He had built it.

It was home for Leo.

He had no intention of returning to the land of gods.


	6. Fifty Years Later

**Fifty years after the fall of Gaea…**

They had all received a summons to Olympus. All six of the Prophesied had come, as well as Reyna and Nico, for they were deemed to be just as crucial.

It had been 25 years since all 8 were in the same place. They were definitely older, but you could easily identify who was whom. They looked like their young fresh selves, but with grayer hair and tanner skin.

Their reunion was broken by Zeus. "A-hrm. As you probably well know, you are a few years from the end of your mortal lives. All of you are here because we want to thank you, and give all of you a gift. And no, Jackson, you're not refusing it this time," he said with a wink to Percy. "First, though," Zeus addressed, "we want to clear the air of the long-avoided affair of Leo Valdez." Everyone was wondering, "Why? We thought he was dead." Hephaestus looked rather uncomfortable. "Let the boy rest in peace, Zeus," he huffed. "Well, that's what we're going to discuss," said Zeus. Hades and Nico shared a look. "Nico, take it away."

Nico started. "About 10 to 15 years ago, I decided to give it one last try to look for Leo. I detected a life sign that resembled him, but it was a dead end. I hereby confirm Leo Valdez to be missing, and a memorial rite will take place at Camp Half-Blood."

"I don't think that's entirely accurate, my old friend," said a voice that some had not heard for half a century. In walked a strapping older man with Einstein hair and a marvelous white beard. With him were a young child and a beautiful woman, his wife, Calypso, with auburn hair and almond eyes.

Leo had returned.

"My gods," whispered Percy. It was all that they could say.

Nico looked both thrilled and extremely angry. "Explain, Valdez. How did you hide from me?"

Leo smiled and laughed. It wasn't a crazy laugh that they had heard so long ago, but a heart-warming one, like the one your grandfather would laugh after telling a particularly funny story. "I hid. I didn't want to return. I felt that I needed to start my own life, you see. It was those fateful words of Nemesis so long ago: _You will never fit in_. And, to be honest, I never did. I was always the odd one out. I felt that now that the world was safe, it was time for me to settle down. I married Calypso here, and this is our granddaughter, Athena. My granddaughter! I have never been so proud. She's very intelligent for an eight-year old!" The goddess Athena looked like she was about to cry. "Anyway, we settled in a place I built. I made it so nobody could ever find us, because I didn't want to be found for the longest time. And we just lived our lives like regular mortals- we had dinner with our neighbors, got groceries, went to movies, earned a living, and so forth. But I felt an emptiness as I got older. I missed my old friends! So when I felt an instinct to come, I did. I brought Athena and Calypso because our daughter was in town on business, and agreed to house-sit. Plus, it would a field trip as well!"

An awkward silence ensued. Zeus broke it. "Hrm, well, that's great. Glad you could make it. Now, for all of those here, the gods would like to bestow a present upon all of the Nine in return of thanks for saving us. Twice. You are hereby blessed by the gods of Olympus with immortality." All of a sudden, they all transformed back into what they looked like when the whole defeat-Gaea-and-save-the-world thing started. "This is your mortal form," explained Zeus. "Of course, you can change the outfit."

After the ceremony, the nine of them stood around. It was like they were kids again. They looked like their old 13-year old selves, but still carried the brunt and memories of their tumultuous lives.

It was a bright, clear day in New York City the next day, and the pantheon had gained nine new gods and goddesses. On this particular day, one of these new deities was fighting a Minotaur...

**I am currently writing a work that links the defeat of Gaea and the meeting in New Rome. I'll keep y'all posted. (10/11)**

**It's called The Barbarians, and I've uploaded the first chapter. Should be available soon.**

**I changed it up a bit. It's now called Saviors of Olympus, and it doesn't link with this work at all. But it does take place right after the events in Blood of Olympus, so there still is a spoiler alert in effect (10/12)**


End file.
